UC Berkeley Sociology

Berkeley’s Sociology Department is known around the world for its excellence in research and teaching. For the past six decades, we have consistently been ranked among the world’s top sociology departments, and in 2017 we were #1 in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. We are proud to contribute to the world’s leading public university, to international sociology, and to the life of the mind beyond the academy. Our faculty teach and do research in most sociological specialties. Our PhDs are leaders in universities and research centers across the US and in many other countries. And our BAs populate the ranks of innumerable professions, bringing with them the skills and special perspective of Berkeley sociology.

Berkeley Sociology offers a full array of interesting and challenging undergraduate courses from mega lectures to intimate seminars. Our 700-plus majors learn from senior faculty, dedicated lecturers, and our most promising graduate students. Graduate-level courses and workshops prepare doctoral students in a full array of sociological specialties.

Berkeley Sociology spans disciplinary boundaries. Many of the faculty are affiliated with organized research units that bring them and our students into contact with colleagues from other social sciences and professional schools. These ties provide graduate and undergraduate students with research opportunities that allow them to advance sociology and encounter other fields.

Berkeley Sociology also spans national boundaries. Faculty and student research projects cover the globe. We welcome visitors to this site to review the publications, research projects, and courses taught by our faculty and doctoral students.